22.1 Reflect on practice

Performance criteria

P1 Monitor processes, practices and outcomes from your own workI make sure that I keep up to date with the schools policies and procedures by reading policies when they are updated, and by attending staff training to keep me up to date with school procedures.

Each time I support children in a lesson or with an activity, I write a detailed report on the outcomes of my work, for example how I supported the children in accordance to their age, needs and abilities, how the children participated in the task, their level of understanding, and, where appropriate, the quality of the work they produced.

P2 Evaluate your own performance (achievements, strengths and weaknesses) using best practice benchmarks

Recently, I was took part in a performance review where my line manager observed me in practice and then gave me feedback on my strengths and weaknesses. I have taken on board all the good advice she has given me. This has enabled me to further reflect on my performance on a daily basis, and to think about what went well, and what did not go quite so well, and to think about strategies I could use to improve my practice.

P3 Reflect on your interactions with othersI regularly reflect on my interactions with colleagues to ensure that I am being professional, and so that I am able to maintain positive working relationships with them. I have to work with every year group across the school from Reception up to Year 4, which means I have to interact with a lot of members of staff. I make sure that I adapt my approach accordingly when working with different colleagues as I am fully aware and understand that everyone has different methods of working.

P4 Share your reflections with others and use their feedback

to improve your own evaluation When I share my reflections with others, I listen carefully to their feedback in order to improve my own evaluation. They may have viewed my involvement with a lesson or activity in a different way and this gives me the chance to get a different opinion on what went well, and what did not go quite so well. It helps me to improve my own evaluation because I know from a different source in which areas of my practice I am doing well in and which I need to improve, and ways to do this.

P5 Use reflection to solve problemsI am able to use reflection to solve problems that I have encountered whilst supporting teaching and learning. For example, if I see a child struggling to understand some parts of the lesson, I would be able to solve this problem by suggesting to their teacher that I could make some visual aids to further the child's understanding of the lesson and therefore improve their participation in it. Another example would be, if I did not feel as if I was supporting the children properly in a lesson eg P.E., I would suggest to their teacher that I could hear the children read during the session, which would be more beneficial to them.

P6 Use reflection to improve practice I regularly reflect on the way in which I provide support for the children with whom I work. This helps me to improve my practice because I reflect on what level of support they need so I am able to provide the right amount of support to them. I am also able to reflect of which learning strategies work well with particular children and try to use the learning style which they prefer. In addition, I am able to reflect on the way I deal with behavioural issues to make sure that I stay within the bounds of the school policy and procedure. Finally, I am able to reflect on my interactions with my colleagues to make sure that I am supporting them in the best possible way in accordance to my role.